This invention relates generally to a sensor system capable of detecting constituent changes in characterized and unknown environments while discriminating non-relevant environmental changes, and specifically to utilizing such a sensor system within a respiratory protection apparatus.
Detecting potentially harmful constituents in gaseous environments, including air and other atmospheres, as well as in water and other liquids, can improve the safety of military combatants, emergency first responders, workers in industrial facilities, and the general public. Some known sensors developed for these purposes are configured to detect a single specific constituent. While many of these known sensors are sensitive to the constituent(s) of interest, they may also respond to other substances present, thereby either disguising a hazard associated with the constituent(s) of interest or inducing nuisance readings and alarms.
At least some other known sensors developed for these purposes are configured to detect a plurality of constituents. Many of these known sensors do not include a capacity to distinguish between each of the constituents of interest or a capacity to discriminate against constituents not of interest. Moreover, these known sensors do not include features that facilitate simultaneous detection of multiple substances coupled with providing responses specific to each constituent. Therefore, achieving detection and identification of multiple constituents often requires an increase in the number of sensors needed for such detections. Use of multiple sensors leads to increases in capital and maintenance costs associated with these sensor systems.